ABOUT MEETEETSE

Where the Old West is alive and well!

Come enjoy our hospitality and meet Meeteetse, Wyoming! Where outlaws rode and cattle barons ruled the land. Where wooden boardwalks, hitching rails and water troughs still line the streets. Where the rugged Absaroka Mountains meet the Wyoming Bad Lands. Wyoming’s best kept secret! Some of the best fishing, hunting, sight seeing and wildlife viewing available anywhere! Make Meeteetse your base camp and plan on visiting Cody, the Irma Hotel, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and Yellowstone National Park. Cody is 30 miles, Thermopolis is 52 miles and boasts the world’s largest hot springs and Wyoming Dinosaur Center. We are only 80 miles to the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Location

Meeteetse lies in the the Northwest portion of the Equality State, Wyoming. 30 miles from Cody, Wyoming, famous for Buffalo Bill Cody, Meeteetse has a rich western history all its own. Located just 80 miles from Yellowstone National Park and 50 miles from the Wyoming Dinosaur Center and the world’s largest hot springs in Thermopolis, Meeteetse can be the restful base camp for your stay in Wyoming. And remember, watch for wildlife, especially deer as you travel in the Meeteetse area.

AN OUTDOOR PLAYGROUND

Family Fun All Year Round

Summer and Fall months are a great time to visit Meeteetse. Warm weather events include the Art Festival, Kirwin Excursion (an abandoned gold, silver and copper mining town) and Meeteetse’s famous Labor Day Celebration. Activities include fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, wind surfing, water skiing, boating and more. Meeteetse offers a host of other winter activities as well including ice fishing, snowmobiling (snow conditions permitting), cross-country skiing, hunting, and sledding. And don’t forget to go sight seeing as excellent photographic opportunities await. Finally, relax at any of our local establishments for quiet dinner and some spirits. Evenings can get quite exciting at times. Christmas in Meeteetse is scheduled for the second Saturday in December, which includes a craft fair, hay rides, Santa’s Workshop, concert and lighted parade as well as specials and complimentary baked goodies all day at the cafes and bars.

PHOTO GALLERY

Meeteetse Area Wildlife

Wildlife

Many come to Wyoming for sightseeing and photo opportunities and they are plentiful south of Meeteetse on Highway 290, the Pitchfork Road. Look for wildlife like mule deer, elk and antelope or enjoy the Wyoming sky and majestic mountain ranges.

Drive up the Wood River or journey to Sunshine Reservoir while passing some of Wyoming’s most famous historical ranches. Consult a map for directions.

Kirwin Mine and Ghost Town

Kirwin Mine and Ghost Town

Gold was discovered at Kirwin, high on the Wood River in 1885. By 1894, the Shoshone River Mining Co. formed and the first ore was shipped from Kirwin by mule in 1897. Kirwin became well established, with 200 people and 38 buildings, including boarding houses, a hotel, a sawmill, a post office, stores and houses, but no cemetery, saloons or brothels.

Town of Meeteetse

Town of Meeteetse

It’s difficult to find a more authentic western town in Wyoming than Meeteetse. From a history rich in colorful stories of outlaws like Butch Cassidy, to historical cattle ranches and a downtown that still features wooden boardwalks, Meeteetse gives the visitor a glimpse of how the West used to be.

Antique Tractor and Truck Rally

Antique Tractor/Truck Rally 2013

Enter your antique truck or tractor in Meeteetse’s annual Antique Tractor and Truck Rally. Compete for best of show, or enjoy other festivities taking place during the annual event.

Ice Fishing Derby

Annual Meeteetse Ice Fishing Derby

This local event is held annually and draws entries from all over Wyoming and beyond. Contestant teams compete for prizes and bragging rights while ice-fishing for trout in the Upper Sunshine Reservoir.

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart

In the early 1930’s, Carl Dunrud purchased the Kirwin area and the lands around it. Six and a half miles below Kirwin he built the Double D Dude Ranch. Among his first guests were Amelia Earhart and her husband, George Putnam. Later, Earhart asked Dunrud to build a cabin for her, where she planned to come after her flight around the world.

In 1937, when she disappeared on her flight around the world, the cabin was four logs high and construction stopped. The cabin was never finished. It can be seen by hiking about one mile past Kirwin.

Labor Day Celebration

Labor Day Celebration

Meeteetse’s annual Labor Day Weekend Celebration is a favorite of both locals and visitors alike. Great food, music, a parade are capped off by a rodeo held at the rodeo grounds just outside of town. Join Meeteetse for this fun family event as they celebrate their western heritage every Labor Day Weekend.

Meeteetse Scenery

Meeteetse Scenery

Meeteetse, Wyoming is nestled in the middle of some of the most beautiful country in Wyoming. The Wood River Valley and the Absaroka Mountains offer breathtaking vistas and a multitude of outdoor recreation opportunities.

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